[1] The range of Gasteracantha diardi includes southern China, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Borneo, and other Sunda Islands in Indonesia.

[1] Females of the species have very wide abdomens, much wider than long, giving them a horizontal appearance that is further accentuated by their spines.

[2] Adult females are usually dark red[3] or brown and can show pale yellowish or whitish stripes horizontally across the upper surface of the abdomen[2] (example from Thailand).

G. diardi can also be confused with G. doriae, which is brown with light stripes and has a slightly longer abdomen than G. diardi (creating a rounder silhouette), forward-pointing anterior spines, and median spines that are thin, relatively short, and curved somewhat back.

[2] Because G. diardi is widespread and variable, it has numerous synonyms,[1] most of which were brought together by zoologist Friedrich Dahl in 1914 based on his examination of specimens at the Natural History Museum, Berlin.